Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes admits crushing defeat on QPR return hard to take

Under-pressure Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes admitted a crushing 4-1 defeat on his return to QPR was “emotionally tough” to take.

In Cifuentes’ first game at Loftus Road since an acrimonious departure from Rangers earlier this year, his team were four down after a nightmare first half.

Koki Saito opened the scoring in only the second minute, and goals from Richard Kone, Karamoko Dembele and Amadou Mbengue put the hosts in complete control.

Cifuentes has endured a difficult start at Leicester since taking over in the summer and, after an encouraging total of seven points from their previous three matches, this result puts him back under serious pressure.

“A really bad first half and then it was perhaps the end of the game,” the Spaniard said.

“It was just a very bad first half – unacceptable for me, for the players, and unacceptable for our fans that travelled here.

“We didn’t match some of the things that are needed to compete in a game like this, so very disappointed. It’s a really disappointing day.

“Emotionally, it’s a tough one. We need to move on quick. It’s a marathon, we are almost in the middle of the season and we need to pick ourselves up.”

Leicester were better in the second half – they could hardly have been worse – and Silko Thomas scored a late consolation goal.

But by then the game was lost, with the damage having been done during a totally one-sided first half.

Cifuentes said: “Conceding a goal after just a few minutes was tough for the team. But still, we need to cope with different scenarios and cannot expect things to always go our way.

“In this search for the identity that I’m talking about (having), it’s very important to cope with different scenarios. We definitely need to be better. We need to be more consistent, which isn’t easy in a league like this.”

QPR boss Julien Stephan praised his players but insisted their empathic fourth home win in a row represented a “dangerous moment” in their season and called for them to remain focused.

The Frenchman explained: “We have to speak about the players, about their quality, their mentality and the effort on the pitch.

“All the players big deserve credit. But it’s a dangerous moment for me – especially for me – because I think you will write a lot of positive things on the players and the next game will be another battle.

“We have to enjoy the moment, but we need to stay focused on the fact that each time it’s a new story, each game it’s different, and we have to prepare and have the same intensity and quality as this one.

“We are in a good way, but we are only halfway through the season. It’s a long journey.”